The Igniting Hope Blog

The Power of Repetition By Steve Backlund “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe” (Philippians 3:1). 7.4 - I read once that this is the average number of times individuals heard the gospel before surrendering and believing in Jesus. I cannot verify that this is entirely accurate, but it is clear most heard many times before believing. This is not only true for salvation but also for other truth

The Two Most Important Words? By Steve Backlund Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Igniting Hope. We are so thankful for you. Here is a special word for you to encourage you today. This message will replace our normal Monday blog email. “The weapons we fight with . . . have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every high thing that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor

Stir It Up By Steve Backlund “Therefore, I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:6-7). The Greek word translated “stir up” denotes the kindling of a fire, as by bellows (a device that provides a strong blast of air). We learn from these verses: Just as a fire can go out due to inattention, our spiritual gifts

5 Biblical Ways to Celebrate Your Progress By Steve Backlund “ ...He who has begun a good work in you will complete it...” Philippians 1:6 Celebrating progress is part of having a hope-filled outlook on life. It is always fun to celebrate a toddler who is learning to walk, even though he is falling down more than he is walking. We don’t withhold approval from him until perfect walking is achieved, but we cheer on this child who is growing in the gift of walking. Even though I

“See, I Told You So!” By Steve Backlund Those who say they can, and those who say they can’t, are both right. The story in Numbers 13 and 14 illustrates this. The ten spies said they were not able to overcome the giants in the Promised Land, while Joshua and Caleb said they were. Each group ultimately experienced what they believed and what they said. Both could have said, “See, I told you so. What I believed was the truth.” We are called to be thermostats, not thermometers.

“These People Are the Problem!” By Steve Backlund This is an excerpt from my book, Let’s Just Laugh at That!. It is a book that teaches us the power of laughing at lies. To laugh, we need to let go of the beliefs supporting our negative strongholds in our minds. Main lie: I cannot fulfill God’s call because of the people in my life. Supporting lies (laughable assumptions): God is surprised and completely hindered by what the people in my life are doing. Their choices make it

“Row Like Your Life Depends On It!” By Steve Backlund “Row like your life depends on it!” Our raft guide yelled these words to the six of us who were in a raft headed into treacherous river rapids. It felt like how God speaks to me when He is leading me into times of risk and spiritual adventure. God has wired us to love risk and adventure. (Teenage boys especially tend to create stress for their moms by what they do. Let’s just laugh at that!) If we always play it safe, we